A/N: So, confession time: Tokka is 1) my all-time favorite ATLA ship, 2) one of my front-running OTPs, 3) just honestly the hill I will die on. This is the only completed story I've ever written for them (maybe someday I will publish the others?) so it's kinda special to me in that way. Also, fluff. Tokka fluff. Need I say more?
Takes place before the events of 3x3 "The Painted Lady". *I do bend the canon a little so that they make camp before entering the town, everything else will run parallel to the show* This is basically a spinoff of Good Together, in case you missed that in the summary.
Dedicating this to the amazing Michaela Jill Murphy, the voice actress of Toph and a fellow Tokka fan ;) seriously how cool is that?!
After their narrow escape from the Fire Nation authorities, the gang collectively agreed it would be best to lay low for a bit. In other words, no more dance parties in their near future. Not as long as anyone held the belief that the Avatar still lived.
Relocating their base of operations turned out to be fairly easy: they made camp on deserted sediment ground laying shore to the most polluted river any of them had ever seen (or in Toph's case, smelled). Still, water was water was disgusting, sludgy water, and Aang and Katara sought to test their bending skills on the questionable liquid running through the canal. Sokka opted to stay behind at the campsite, obsessing over his obnoxious schedule atop a sleeping Appa's back.
Toph set out to explore the types of rock surrounding them. She learned a few things just by laying her small hands on the enormous formations, guessing they'd been around in this area since well before the hundred-year war had begun. Toph closed her eyes and strained to speak the language of the rock. It was smoother at the bottom, meaning during the flooding season the river overflowed and wore down the base of the formation, carrying in new sediment which fused itself to the ground she was standing on now.
Most people stood unaware that the ground beneath them had its own life cycle, that some rocks had lived as many lives as the Avatar. But with one touch this blind Earthbending prodigy knew the story behind each one, communicating with lifeless stones but seeing all the life that had come before them. Before her.
However, talking to rocks with her hands and feet quickly got boring, so Toph wandered back to their campsite, from which she had not strayed far. Petting Appa's head absently, Toph meandered to the side of the large creature and raised a small staircase up from the ground to get into his saddle. Once atop the beast she was warmly ignored by Sokka, the only other occupant, poring over his plan for every second of their lives…for the next few months…for what had to be the thousandth time. Sensing his unnecessarily nervous presence there with her, Toph couldn't help but roll her eyes—something that, ironically, Sokka had taught her to do—which she normally did when he was being ridiculous. Which was often, and right now was a perfect instance for example.
"You can read that stupid thing all you want, Snoozles, it's not gonna make a difference," Toph told him matter-of-factly, which Sokka found unhelpful, causing him to look up at her with an unamused expression on his face.
"Yeah, well, when we got here I didn't account for spontaneous fraternizing with the enemy, so I'm just making sure we're still on track is all." He dragged his eyes up and down the page. "Okay, we have approximately two hundred and fifty hours of usable daylight between now and the day of the invasion. Accounting for our average travel time between locations, that leaves—" He didn't get to finish, though, because in one swift move Toph tore the impossibly long sheet of paper from his hands and proceeded to crumple it up. There was nothing Sokka could do except gape in appall as she crushed all his meticulous plans in her grimy, calloused hands. Finally, Toph dropped the medium-sized paper ball between him and her, a smug smile on her face.
"Hey!" Sokka shrieked, grabbing the paper and frantically attempting to smooth it out. "Toph this is serious business!"
"You're seriously nuts. What's your dumb schedule supposed to accomplish, anyway?" She asked dismissively, digging in her ear and halfheartedly listening for his reply.
"What's it supposed to accomplish?" Sokka squawked. "Don't any of you understand what time is worth to us right now? We have three weeks until the Day of Black Sun—meaning three weeks to organize an entire invasion of the most dangerous empire in the world—and then, just in case we need a plan B, three weeks after that before Sozin's Comet arrives. There's just so much to do between now and then—"
Toph cut him off again, this time less aggressively. "You need to relax, Sokka. You think too much. The plans for the invasion are already underway; have a little faith in your father. He's got it all under control."
"I do trust my father. I just keep wondering, what if—"
"What if nothing! We'll deal with stuff as it happens, like we always have. What's the problem with that?"
Sokka saw there was no reasoning with her on this one. Toph wasn't used to living life by clocks and plans and...well, order in general. It was always go-with-the-flow, figure it out on the way with her. He had to admit, it was kinda refreshing sometimes, since Sokka himself was so naturally calculating. But today, it just irritated him. Because he did want to relax, he just couldn't. And he didn't need Toph reminding him.
Toph, however, was about to take both their minds off of the future rather easily. "Speaking of the dance party, I had a question for you." She crossed her arms, suddenly wondering if her curiosity was silly. But, she figured, what was too silly that she couldn't say it to Sokka, her best friend?
Sokka raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, interested. "Hit me."
Toph considered actually hitting him for a second, but she refrained. "Everyone in the cave seemed really impressed with Twinkle Toes's moves. He's a good dancer, right?"
Unprepared for the content of her question, Sokka blinked a few times before he grasped what it was she was asking. "Oh yeah, he's a natural. I think he surprised us all that night." When Toph hesitated to continue, she prompted Sokka to ask, "Was that all?"
"It's just…" Toph started, her voice conveying a mixture of frustration and…was that embarrassment? Toph Bei Fong, embarrassed? "Dancing's always been kinda confusing to me. I know what it feels like when people are dancing, as oppose to running or fighting, so in theory I know what it is. But…I don't know how to dance. Or what good dancing is, versus bad dancing. I've never done it since I don't want to look like an idiot in front of other people. I guess my question is, what's good dancing?"
Sokka wasn't sure he was entirely equipped to answer this. Why couldn't she have asked Aang, or his sister, who were apparently both very talented dancers? Still, he wanted to come through for Toph, since this would probably be one of the only times she'd ever need him. He wasn't a completely terrible dancer...right?
"Uh, well, it's all about staying on the beat," Sokka began.
"The beat?"
"Yeah, like, the pattern the music is following."
"I know what the beat is, Snoozles. I mean, how do you 'stay on it?'"
Sokka opened his mouth to explain, but he realized she would probably benefit more from an active demonstration than any verbal example he could give. He stood up. "Here, come down." Sokka hopped off of Appa's back, and Toph followed, meeting him on the ground. They walked a ways off from the slumbering sky bison before Sokka stopped them where they were and turned to face Toph. "I know there isn't any music out here, so, why don't you use my heartbeat?"
Toph raised an eyebrow. "Okay," she said warily, honing in on the thumping rhythm in his chest. He began a two-step from side to side. Quickly it became difficult to maintain her focus on his heartbeat when his movements were sending out a totally different set of vibrations. The two weren't matching up completely, and it distracted her.
"Feel it? Try it with me." To her credit, she did, stepping from side to side about a second behind him. But it was impossible to concentrate solely on his heartbeat, and Toph found herself falling out of sync with his motions. She groaned, and they both stopped at the same time.
"It's not working, Sokka. Heartbeats aren't something I just feel subconsciously; I have to really pay attention to them. And I can hardly do that when you're also moving, and I'm moving too."
Sokka frowned. He didn't fully understand the parameters of Toph's seismic sense, and for a moment he was lost on how to continue. That was when the idea came to him—a bit out of nowhere—and he was surprised to find he wasn't all too uncomfortable with it. "Would it help if you were touching me?"
Toph stilled, fighting the blush that threatened to creep up her neck. "Touching you how?"
"Like, put your head on my chest, where my heartbeat is. That way you can keep time."
She blinked, a thousand different voices swarming in her head, some telling her to refuse the idea, others saying she'd never get this kind of opportunity again; not as long as Fan Girl wasn't that far off. One thing was for sure, the prospect of being that close to Sokka absolutely terrified her. And Toph hated little more than being afraid.
Whenever she was afraid of something, she told herself to man up and face it head-on. So that was what she would do now. She did want to learn how to dance, didn't she?
Slowly, Toph stepped forward, closing the gap between him and her, and laid her head down on his chest with her ear pressed against his heart. The steady beat came through clearer, more defined now that she was in complete contact with him. Though, Toph noticed, it was significantly faster than it had been before. She was suddenly very aware of her own heart pounding in her chest like a caged animal, and she hoped Sokka couldn't tell.
She forced herself to focus only on his heartbeat, wordlessly sliding her arms up around his neck. Taking the cue from her, Sokka placed his own arms around her waist, and took a deep breath. Then another. Toph's head stayed on his chest as it rose and fell. She hardly even recognized herself. Her whole life Toph had refused to hope for something like this, thoroughly convinced she'd never experience it. Her reflexes wanted to earth-punch him sky high, but it would only prove true that one voice out of many in her head that said she ruined everything she touched, and Sokka—everyone—was right to stay away. But she was so comfortable, so at peace in his arms that she could barely bring herself to breathe. The air around her smelled like him, a scent she couldn't quite identify.
Sokka swallowed the lump in his throat. "We'll start slow, I guess…" he half-whispered, his voice trailing off.
"Step when I count," Toph replied, matching his meekened tone. "One, two, one, two…" she counted softly, and he began moving from side to side, slowly at first so she could catch on. Before long, they were in time with one another, and Toph didn't need to count anymore. An electrified silence settled over them as they moved from left to right in a half waltz. And his heart kept beating with their steps.
Sokka tried to keep his heartbeat as steady as he could, but having Toph this close to him was doing weird things to it. He'd never held a girl like this before, he realized. Not Yue, not Suki. But this was Toph. She was his friend, and he was doing her a favor—she had asked, after all. Before now, he'd just seen her as a fearfully powerful bender in a tiny package, who was actually really funny and clever and loyal underneath her tough exterior. Right now, though, Sokka didn't feel like Toph could bury him alive with one stomp. She felt…well, like a girl. He was kidding himself if he said he hadn't noticed her soft curves pressed against his body. He'd never been more acutely aware of those as he was right now. Her bare skin, slightly sweaty from the midday sun, and his, which felt warm and tingly around his neck where her arms were.
It almost felt unreal. They were slow-dancing under an ash-smothered sky to the music of his heartbeat, and the distant gurgle of the filthy river in the background.
Toph knew she could step away from him if she wanted to. Although she was following his lead, the ball was in her court. But she didn't want to. In a perfect world, time would stop so this moment never has to end. Toph mentally cursed herself for the thought. She wasn't a romantic, she was a realist. And she couldn't think about Sokka that way, especially when she could never have him; not in this life or the next. He doesn't want you, so tell that stupid little crush in there to just let it go.
Still they danced from side to side, and she listened to his heartbeat, committing it to memory so she'd always have a piece of this moment to carry with her. Some kind of proof that she wasn't imagining it. I like this better than listening to rocks, Toph thought to herself, the tiniest smile gracing her face. She would never admit it, but hating herself forever was a small price to pay to keep this dance alive in her mind. Toph was sure nothing like this would ever happen to her again; might as well enjoy it while it lasts.
It pained her to think about how badly pushing him away would ache now, after knowing what it felt like to be held by him. Girls like me just aren't worth a happily-ever-after.
Sokka, on the other hand, wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. One thing was for sure: he'd never look at Toph the same way again. Now whenever he saw her kicking ass hurtling giant boulders at oncoming enemies, he'd remember them slow-dancing: her in between his arms, his fear she would break like glass if he held on too tight. Toph of course wasn't fragile by any means, but...he really could swear she was. He'd remember the funny things she did to his heartbeat. How he secretly wouldn't let go if he didn't have to. Five minutes ago the only thing Sokka could think about was how to relay messages across the four nations to all the allies their little cohort had created thus far. Now, Toph was the one and only thing on his mind, and she was welcome to stay for as long as she liked.
The bone-deep serenity, however, was what shocked Sokka the most. He hadn't felt so content in a moment since his travels with the Avatar had first started. And it was Toph, of all people, who made him feel that way. He could barely believe it.
Another minute passed. Then, without a word, the two separated. They only had so much luck to push. Sokka's heartbeat echoed deep in Toph's ears, and Sokka could swear he still felt Toph's arms around his neck. The ghost of the dance hung around them like a fog.
"So…was that good dancing?" Toph asked quietly, causing him to recall why they'd danced in the first place.
Sokka nodded as he spoke. "Yeah, I'd say it was. Slow dancing is a very important skill to learn, you know. I think you've got the hang of it." Thing was, the idea of her dancing like that with someone else invoked a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Whatever it was, he sure didn't like it.
"Thanks for showing me," Toph replied awkwardly. Ugh! This was weakening her. She had to regain control, fast. Toph was many things, but weak was never one of them.
She felt Sokka smile. "You're welcome. Next time we'll go faster, what do you say?"
Next time? Toph wondered, her heart skipping a beat involuntarily. But she just replied breezily, "Whatever you want, Snoozles." Shaking her head, and adding the most believable smile she could muster for good measure. Toph Bei Fong is never weak.
"Think we should be getting back to camp now?" Sokka asked, looking over her head in the direction they'd come.
"Yeah. The others are probably wondering where we are." They began the walk back; slowly, as if they could stretch time out, preserving the sacred and the forbidden with it.
They walked close to each other, elbows occasionally brushing. Sokka wondered if putting an arm around Toph's shoulder would be welcomed or punished. The last thing he wanted to do was complicate things further...or be seriously injured, which he knew was a valid possibility to that course of action. Unbeknownst to him, Toph was wishing Meathead would man up and put his arm around her already. What a coward. The both of them.
Reverting back to old habits was the last step in laying the moment to rest. To that effect, she grinned and punched his arm unprovoked, laughing when he yelped. Yup, there was no way he could misinterpret that.
A/N: I hope you like your fluff with a sprinkling of angst, since I can't seem to stop writing it -_- That being said, I'm really happy with how this turned out. Give me Tokka or give me death! xD Until next time, lovely readers ;)